Moving On
by GingerSpice-8675309
Summary: Samantha has found herself in the world of her favorite movie, though she can't remember what happens next. The more she tries to remember, the more she forgets. With her memories of the movies becoming more distant, she fears what happens next. Especially when asked to embark on a life or death adventure. (Legolas/OC) 10th Walker, Rated M for sexual content later on.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - I do not own Lord of the Rings. (Not gonna put this in every chapter. Just this one!)

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Chapter 1

I walked into my apartment and locked the door. Another day another dollar. My keys made a loud sound as they hit the surface of my kitchen counter. I looked around my apartment and like many times before, I sighed. This studio apartment was small but at least I could live comfortably on my own.

My days were spent going to work at the local Wal-Mart and watching YouTube and other online videos. I didn't have many friends, in fact, I felt like I wasn't a big part of their lives. I was never invited to hangout and no one ever texted me. Of course I had family, but they lived so far away I only got to see them on holidays. Not to mention I don't really have a relationship with my older brother anymore. I felt alone and detached from my life. It was as if most of the time I was just going through the motions.

I got dressed into something comfortable, sweatpants and a hoodie a few sizes too big for me. I enjoyed the cozy warmth the clothes provided as I sat down on my bed and grabbed my computer from its usual spot on the floor. I turned on YouTube and picked a random episode of Good Mythical Morning. Even though Rhet and Link were nearly as old as my parents, they were pretty cool guys who made me laugh. After a few episodes of their "Will it" series, I got a text on my phone,

 _Jacob - 'Yo.'_

I blinked and started texting back.

 _Me - 'What the hell do you want?'_

 _Jacob - 'I was wondering if you wanted to hangout ;)'_

 _Me - 'No.'_

 _Jacob - 'Come on, don't be like that. It'll be fun, promise. :*'_

 _Me - 'We both know this is just a booty call. How about you find a girl who will fall for all your tricks!'_

I slammed my phone down on the mattress and ignored the buzzing noise it made. Jacob just didn't understand that I wanted nothing to do with him. He would text me, and I would reply just to tell him no. I wish he would just leave me alone, it had been over a year since we had done anything together and yet every few months he would try to "hang out" with me.

I sighed and continued watching my YouTube show. I needed to get a hobby. Looking around I knew I could read one of my many books, or I could draw or paint. Even do a puzzle. But it felt like it would be more of a hassle at this point than fun. I got up and decided to eat something. It was about 7pm and I hadn't eaten supper yet. I walked the ten steps into my kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a lunchable and a cup of yogurt. I didn't feel like making anything tonight. Maybe tomorrow I could fry some potatoes. Grabbing a spoon for my yogurt I went to go sit back down on my bed when I spotted my parents copy of Lord of the Rings trilogy by my TV. Last they had visited they had forgotten it here and they said I could keep it. I haven't seen the movie in a long time, why not watch it?

Putting the movie into the DVD player I grabbed the remote and sat back down on my bed. I began stuffing my face with my poorly made meal and pressed play. I was happy that my parents let me have the extended version. It gave more details, like how Saruman is killed by Grima. In the theatrical version I thought he just stayed in the tower for Treebeard to guard forever.

The four little hobbits had just arrived in Rivendell and I could only imagine what walking around in a place like that would feel like. Sometimes I wish I could escape into that world. But wait, then I would have to deal with orcs and Balrogs and Sauron and the Ring… I would just end up dead.

By the time the fellowship reached Lothlorien I was beginning to feel tired. I decided it was time to go to bed, it was already a quarter to midnight anyway. I shut off the TV, happy that the DVD player would keep my spot for me. Once I had brushed my teeth, washed my face and brushed out my hair, I headed to my bed and took off my bra. I got into my bed and shut off my lamp. I took a peek at the clock, it read 11:59. My body suddenly became extremely heavy and just before my eyes shut, I saw the clock strick midnight.

XOXOXOXOX

I woke up to a chilly breeze. Damn it was cold. I reached down to grab at my blanket and pull it up, but there was nothing there. Then it occurred to me, I didn't have my window open, how could there be a breeze?

My eyes shot open and I sat up, suddenly wide awake. I looked around confused. There were trees everywhere, and not the kind I was used to. These were huge! If I wanted to hug one I wouldn't be able to get my arms around it! I had been lying down on the ground on top of grass and a few small bushes. My mind quickly thought of all the spiders I could have laid on and I shot up as my hands went to shake out and brush off anything that could be on me. As I was rubbing my sweatpants down I noticed I didn't have any shoes on. Lovely.

Might as well walk around and see if I can find anything. I lived where pinetrees were the norm, so being able to walk barefoot without needles stabbing my feet was cool. I did step on a rock every once in awhile, but I could handle that. The longer I walked the more I came to think it was all a dream. The last thing I remember is going to bed after all, so it made sense. But, I've only had one other dream that I knew I was dreaming. In that dream I was able to fly on command...

With that in mind I jumped. I jumped up and tried to fly into the air, but I came back down on my feet. Okay, that didn't work.

I continued my midnight trek through the woods, thoughts racing through my head. Where was I? How did I get here? Why was I here? My boobs were really starting to bug me. I loved my bra. I knew most women hate them because they are constricting, but I loved mine. I wish my C cup was an A right now.

After walking a while longer I came to a small clearing and I could see the stars. My eyes grew wide as I craned my head up to look. There were so many stars. I had never seen so many in the sky in all my life. Now that I thought about it, the air here was fresher somehow. Like it was cleaner. Maybe I was in the middle of nowhere? Logically I couldn't be anywhere near home.

I sat down on the ground in the clearing. The grass was soft and I laid down, making sure to put my hood under my head. I was hit with a sudden feeling of hopelessness. Even though I didn't want to believe it I knew I wasn't near my home. I was alone and cold and hungry. It felt like I had been walking for hours through this never ending forest. I looked at the sky I felt my throat close up and my eyes water. Since no one was there I let the tears fall. Soon I rolled onto my sides and cried, hoping that this was just a cruel dream after all. I hugged myself, giving my body as much warmth as I could manage. I must have looked so pathetic.

In the middle of my crying I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned quickly, nearly giving myself whiplash. I wanted to scream, but the sound was caught in my throat and instead I gasped. I rubbed my eyes with my sleeves as I heard a voice, "Are you alright?" The voice was smooth and calm and held a hint of curiosity.

Once I felt that I had my face as presentable as it could be after such a strong crying fest, I looked up. No words came from my mouth. Instead I stared like an idiot at the beautiful man in front of me. His blonde hair came to his shoulders, his features were soft, but now like a woman's. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he was a handsomely pretty man. He also seemed… familiar…?

He repeated his question, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Where am I?"

He got down onto one knee to come to my level. "You are outside the realm of Imladris. How you have wandered this far on your own is unknown to me."

I wanted to tell him I have no idea how I got here, but what then? He would think I'm crazy! Not to mention he wasn't dressed like a normal person. It was like he had never been shopping for clothes before. Wait… did he just say Imladris?

"What are you wearing?" His question shocked me out of my thoughts. He was looking at my clothes with a confused expression.

Even though my hoodie was a thicker material, I was probably nipping out and I didn't want him to see that. Pretending I was cold, which wasn't hard, I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "This is what is normal."

"It is normal to walk through a forest without any boots?" he said eyeing my feet.

I was silent for a second, "Well… No."

He nodded, "And why are you here all alone with no supplies?"

I sighed and rubbed my face a bit more, "Look, I have no idea why I am here or how I got here. The last thing I remember is going to sleep in my own bed, everything after that is a blank."

There was a long silence before the man stood and extended his hand out to me. I looked at it for a moment and took his hand. Even if this guy ended up being some sort of serial murderer, I probably would end up dead without him. "I will bring you to Imladris. When we arrive, we will see if someone there will be able to help you."

I nodded as I stood, "Thank you, umm..."

"Legolas." He bowed his head to me, my hand still in his. My mind was racing as it suddenly hit me. Imladris. Legolas. Was I in fucking Middle Earth? The Middle Earth? My eyes flew to his ears and loandbehold they were pointed… Fucking hell...

The look on my face probably betrayed my inner shock. I smiled awkwardly, "Samantha." I nodded and slowly took my hand from his.

He said something else but my mind was in another place. As I followed him I thought about the movies. I had literally just watched the first movie and I could hardly remember it. An image of Orlando Bloom as Legolas entered my mind. This Legolas looked similar, but he looked more… angelic. It was the best word to describe it.

How was I going to get home? Maybe Gandalf could help me? But what if he didn't believe me? This world revolved around magic more than science. The multiverse theory probably wouldn't fly here.

We came upon two other elves and three horses. Legolas gracefully mounted and reached his hand out to me. I extended my hand and he pulled me up onto the horse in front of him. I had never ridden a horse before, but it was extremely uncomfortable on my back side. Kinda like riding my bike after not riding it all winter.

After a few hours of riding it looked as if the sun was beginning to rise. We reached a shallow river and crossed to the other side. I felt a shiver run along my skin and up my back. Legolas seemed to notice and I thought I heard a quick laugh come from him. "It is an old elvish magic you sense. The river is old and has long protected these lands."

I nodded in response, not really sure of what to say. It didn't take much longer for us to come across a magical sight. I'd never seen such a beautiful place in all my life. I thought of the Rivendell from the movie and it couldn't compare. Legolas led the horse into a small stone covered area and dismounted, quickly turning to help me down as well. It was a big horse and it was a long way down so the help was greatly appreciated. I said thanks and stood and watched as the two other elves led the horses away. I assumed to a stable of some kind.

Legolas motioned me to follow him and I did. It was at this time I noticed how tall he was. At my 5 feet and 3 inches, I think he was a good foot taller than me. For a split second it made me wish I was taller. I hated being short, you could never reach anything!

"I must announce my presence to Lord Elrond and at the same time, I will let him know you need a room prepared."

"Thank you, Legolas." I wasn't sure if I could call him by his first name. Afterall, wasn't he a prince if I remember right? Since he didn't correct me, I'll just go with it.

It didn't take us long to reach Elrond's study. Legolas knocked on the door and walked in several steps before bowing formally. "Lord Elrond, I assume I do not make an intrusion."

"Not at all, Prince of the Woodland Realm, I have been expecting you." Elrond stood and I took in his appearance as I shyly entered the room. He had long raven black hair and even though he had a few age lines, he held the same angelic beauty and grace as Legolas. Speaking of age lines, weren't elves immortal or something? If he had signs of aging he had to be older than dirt!

Elrond looked at me and I bowed my head, "Hello, Lord Elrond."

He eyed me curiously, with a hint of suspicion he looked between me and the prince, "Who would this be, young Legolas?"

Without turning to me he looked Elrond in the eye and told him, " _ **I found her in the woods, crying and alone. She is young, if I had left her there she would have surely died. She has no memory of how she arrived here and I thought your wisdom might help her."**_

I frowned. He said it all in Elvish. Damn. With my luck he was probably telling him about how I was a blubbering mess. How embarrassing.

Elrond looked at me again and nodded. He walked over to me and he was almost as tall as Legolas. Were all Elves giants? "What might your name be, young miss?"

"Samantha." Came my uncertain reply. Get a hold of yourself! It's only your name, no need to be nervous. At least not yet.

"Well, Samantha, I will have a room set up for you and we will talk of your predicament later. I assume you are tired from the trip here."

Even though I wasn't tired at all, I nodded and didn't say anything. I mean, what could I say? I was in a magical world that I never thought existed. Surrounded by people that should only be real in movies and books!

Even though the sun was about to rise, I wasn't looking forward to the discussion with Elrond when I woke up.

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 _A/N - Hello everyone, so there you have it. First chapter to my story. Samantha's personality is my personality, I wanted to immerse myself into the story as much as possible, and that was the easiest way to do it. I've missed writing and haven't done much writing in a while. I would love to return to some of my older stories, but I have lost a lot of my passion for the things I loved due to depression. (Much like Samantha) I am trying to gain it back, and now that I am out of hell *cough* *College* *Cough* I'm doing better._

 _It would mean a lot to me if you reviewed and tell me what you think and/or favorite and follow this story._

 _Bu-Bye~!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My eyes opened and I looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling, reminding me that this wasn't a dream. I was really in Middle Earth in the Elven city of Rivendell. I sat up and looked around at the room that was more like a luxury suit at a high end hotel. I sat up in the bed for a few minutes and I heard a knock on the door. "Yes?"

The door opened up and it was the elf who escorted me to my room last night. Penneth if I remember right. "Good morning, Samantha. I hope I did not wake you."

I smiled at her and shook my head, "No, it's okay, I was already up."

She nodded and gave me a small smile back. She was very calm and graceful. I've assumed that all elves are like that. "I am here to help you get ready for the day. I have drawn a bath for you and require your measurements for a gown. I will also have your current clothing sent off to be washed."

I looked down at my clothes, they were the only thing I had that was from my home. As long as I got them back, I wouldn't mind them being washed. I was probably a stinky mess as well and needed a bath… but having someone help me? Never had that before…

I nodded and stood up. Penneth led me to a bathroom and motioned for me to get into the tub. She wasn't turning around and watched me expectantly. "Umm… do you mind turning around?"

Penneth smiled in understanding and turned around to give me privacy as I undressed. I took off the hoodie and pants and underwear and hopped into the tub. There were bubbles and the water was room temperature as I slid into the water. "Okay, I'm good."

The elf turned back around and reached for a bar of soap. She lathered her hands and began to scrub my head. It felt weird to have someone wash my hair, but at the same time, she did it so gently I couldn't help but relax. This was nothing like going to a salon, I can say that much. When Penneth was done washing my hair she allowed me to scrub the rest of my body on my own.

I had the feeling nudity didn't bother her, though it was extremely embarrassing for me. It reminded me of middle school gym class. When I rinsed off she gave me a thin cloth robe to wear. After I put it on she looked me up and down. "Oh my, I was told you were a young lady, though I see now you are much more mature. May I ask how old you are?" She reached for a ribbon that I assumed was to take my measurements.

I was confused for a second but then I realized my hoodie probably had hid all of my curves. I had always looked younger than my age. On my 16th birthday I was mistaken for a 12 year old. And even now people tell me I can pass for 15. Usually it was the boobs and butt that gave it away. "I'm 20. I have a baby face, so I'm not surprised you thought I was younger."

She motioned for me to raise my arms, "I see. Lord Elrond and the Prince will be surprised. I'm sure they thought you were only a babe." She stated as she finished measuring.

"Well compared to you all I am, aren't I?" I questioned.

"Yes, though you are Human and not an elf, so at the age of 20 you are most definitely a Lady." She reached toward the door and turned to me, "I will take you back to your room and I will be back shortly with a gown for you. After that we shall fetch you something to eat."

I nodded and was lead back to my room where I spend my time looking through a book I found. I had no idea what any of the words said, but the pictures were pretty cool. Pretty sure it was all about weaponry and armor, because that's what all the pictures were of.

Half an hour later I heard a knock and Penneth entered with a beautiful blue dress in tow. I usually didn't wear dresses, but man was it pretty. I stood, ready to get out of this robe. I'm glad I had some help to get dressed. I would never be able to get all the ties on my own. After the dress was put on I was given a pair of soft leather shoes. I walked in front of a mirror that hung on the wall and took a look at myself. The dress was elegant but simple. It was a blue color that really brought out my eyes and made my already light skin seem lighter. My shoulder length red hair was still a little damp, but it was beginning to show some of its natural lift and curl.

Penneth smiled, "I thought you would look good in this dress. The blue really brings out your eyes. It compliments your hair as well. I have not seen many humans with this shade of red."

I touched my hair and nodded, "Thank you, it is pretty rare from where I am from as well."

She nodded, "I take it you must be hungry? I will take you to the dining hall where you can eat."

The thought of food made me focus on the empty feeling in my stomach. "Food sounds amazing right now." I stated as I followed her out of the room and through several corridors. I looked around and was even more amazed by the scenery than when I arrived. I didn't think I could ever get used to the beauty here.

The dining hall was large and several elves sat at tables full of food. I noticed there was no meat, only fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and bread. I sat down at one of the tables and Penneth sat across from me as I began to grab some food before shoving it into my face. "You must have been very hungry." Penneth said with a grin.

I only nodded and focused on eating. The last thing I had was a lunchable and yogurt. Not that they would know what those are, but it wasn't much. Once I had eaten most of the grapes in front of me, along with the carrots and cheese and bread, I looked up and studied my surroundings more.

As I looked around I noticed a familiar elf walk into the dining hall. Legolas. We made eye contact and I waved, offering a smile in greeting. His eyes sparked with surprise before walking toward me and my companion. "Hello, Lady Samantha." He greeted before sitting down a few feet away from me.

I waved my hand at him dismissively, "Don't do that, just call me Samantha. And Hello to you too, Prince." I knew I had called him by his first name last night, but I didn't know how the other elves would perceive it if I showed such disrespect. I didn't want to become hated.

The corners of his lips perked up, "Alright, Samantha, I expect you slept well?"

Other than crying myself to sleep, yes. "Yes, the bed was very comfy and Penneth has been a great help." I gave the lady elf a smile and a nod, which she returned.

Legolas nodded and looked at me seriously, "Lord Elrond requests your presence. I should also let you know that a man named Mithrandir is here as well. He arrived during the night and has heard about your sudden appearance. It makes him curious."

I gave a short laugh and looked him in the eye, "Believe me, I'm more curious and confused than anyone else here." Okay, that might not be true, but I was as clueless as a puppy. My mind settled on the name he said, Mithrandir. The name was so familiar and yet I couldn't place it. It was frustrating that I couldn't remember some main key points of the story.

~3rd Person POV~

When Legolas entered the dining hall, he was surprised to see Samantha in a beautiful blue dress. Unlike when he first met her, he could tell now that she was much more mature than he first thought. The dress hugged her middle and flowed loosely below the waste. He was almost embarrassed he didn't notice before.

He looked down to his side at the girl walking next to him. When he had mentioned Mithrandir there was a sort of spark in her eyes. As if the name struck a chord within her. Could she possibly know the Wizard? Although, she had had the same look upon her face when he first introduced himself. He was certain he had never met her before. He had never seen a human with such a rich red color to their hair. He was sure he would remember it if he had seen it. The red he usually saw in the few humans who had red hair was light, as if the red color had been mixed with blonde. But Samantha's shade was a darker and rich color. He only saw it in dwarves. Out of all species in Middle Earth, dwarves were the most likely to have red hair too.

The two reached Elrond's study and Legolas gave a quick knock before entering. They were greeted by the sight of Elrond sitting behind his desk and Gandalf, holding his pipe. He was pacing the room and turned to see the door open. Samantha couldn't help but wonder what it was that Gandalf was smoking. Could it be tobacco or something else?

The wizard blew out a few smoke rings while studying the young woman in the doorway. Gandalf smiled at the girl, "Hello, my dear. Thank you for escorting her Legolas, it is time to have a chat, privately. Much to discuss."

Legolas nodded and bowed before looking down at Samantha and closing the door behind her, leaving the three in the room alone. Samantha gave a wave, "Hello… What's up?"

Gandalf and Elrond shared a glance before Elrond motioned her to a chair. She sat down and looked at the two expectantly. She felt like a child who had been brought to the principal's office to be scolded. Gandal began, "Samantha, could you tell us how you came to be in the forest last night? The prince tells us you remember nothing and were traveling with nothing but the clothes on your back." He placed the pipe back into his mouth as he leaned against Elrond's desk, waiting for her response.

Samantha looked down and sighed, "I don't know. I was getting ready for bed and fell asleep. When I woke up I was in the middle of the forest. I don't remember anything in between the two."

"And where is your home?" Elrond questioned. "Perhaps you traveled from Bree?"

This was something she didn't really know how to answer. Her home wasn't anywhere they could take her. After a few moments of silence, Gandalf gave her a small gentle smile, "You can trust us, young one."

She looked into his eyes and she felt like she could trust the old man. She thought what the hell and said, "Well, my home isn't anywhere you have heard off."

"What do you mean?" Lord Elrond asked, leaning forward in his chair.

She looked down, "I mean, where I come from, none of this is real. Both of you don't exist. You are characters in a book."

Silence fell over the room before Elrond asked, "And you have read these books?"

She thought for a second and she could honestly answer no. The books were a mystery to her, she had only seen the films. She would have loved to read the books if not for the school library banning them for some stupid reason. She could tell them she had seen the movies, but how would she explain a movie? They weren't even invented yet. So instead she went with what was the more simple answer. "Yes."

Elrond nodded, "So you are telling us that you know what future events will occur? What the outcome of everything will be?"

Before Samantha could say anything Gandalf raised a hand and looked at his old friend, "Now Elrond, we do not need to know the outcome. If what she says is true, we should not know. It could influence us to make choices that are most unwise."

"You're in luck then," Samantha stated, "I can hardly remember anything about this world to begin with. It's like the more I try and remember what happens the more I lose. I know that there are dark times and horrible things are going to happen, but past that, everything is fuzzy."

Gandalf's face became grim. He thought back to when he was talking to Saruman. The White Wizard's words rung in his head,

" _I have seen many things. A new presence grows nearer to this world. A girl who holds information both of us could only wish to know. She holds the future, locked away in her mind, only I hold the key."_

The Wizard looked at the woman before him, knowing the girl Saruman spoke of was in front of him. He had no doubt what she told them was the truth. He raised his hand and pointed to her for emphasis, "You must not tell anyone of what you know or where you are from. Keep the information about your home minimal."

Samantha could only nod. Her body had sunken into the chair more from the Wizards serious tone of voice. It was like if she told anyone he would murder her. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"And I hold you to it." Gandalf told her. "Now go on and explore. Lord Elrond and I have much to discuss about the days to come."

Samantha nodded and left, a sinking feeling settling into her stomach. The was Gandalf looked at her, it was as if she was in some kind of danger or something. It was easy enough to not tell anyone about what she was supposed to know, because she didn't remember it. So, if she couldn't remember, why would she be in danger?

Back in Elrond's study, Gandalf had taken the seat Samantha had left open. The two sat in silence for several minutes before Elrond broke it. "Something troubles you, Mithrandir. What do you know that I do not?"

"I have told you how Saruman betrayed us." Elrond nodded. "I did not mention the way he let himself be found out. He started telling me of Sauron's plans. Sauron knows a hobbit has the ring, and he spoke of a girl who knows our future, but doesn't remember. I do believe, Lord Elrond, that Samantha is that girl."

"If she is the girl Saurman spoke of, then she is as much a key to winning this war as the One Ring."

Gandalf nodded, inhaling from the pipe and spoke as he exhaled, "Yes. I have had some time to ponder this on my return trip. I believe that she may have to join on the journey to destroy the ring."

Elrond's head shot up, "You can not be serious, Mithrandir. Putting the ring and her in the same place is the last thing we should do. And just look at her. She is not trained to fight, certainly she would die."

"She will be protected by myself and anyone who is brave enough to join our cause. She will be trained, I will see to it that she is able to defend herself." He looked at Elrond seriously, "If Sauron gets the ring, we know it is over. If he gets his hands on Samantha, chances are he will in short order have the ring. Placing them together will be easier to protect them."

"But why not leave her here? She would be safe."

Gandalf shook his head, "You know as well as I do that the magic protecting this Sanctuary is fading. And your people are leaving to travel west. She may very well end up here alone. And leaving her here would be even more reason for Sauron to attack here needlessly."

Elrond sighed. "There is no arguing with you. If you think it best I will put my trust in you."

"Thank you, my friend."

"I only hope you know what you are doing."

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A/N - Hello again everyone! I hope you liked the chapter. Kind of a filler chapter, but next time Samantha meets the hobbits and Gimli and everyone goes to the Council. I'm looking forward to writing it!

Feel free to Review and Favorite/Follow!

Bu-Bye~!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I closed the door behind me as I left Elrond's office. My intuition was telling me something big was about to happen, and it was driving me nuts! I should remember, but I can't! I thought it over a bit more as I walked through the halls. My mind was racing when I reentered the dining hall.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud gruff yell, "Where's the meat?" I looked up and saw four dwarves… Either that, or really short and hairy men. And I mean extremely short, they looked like they were a foot shorter than I was! One of them had red hair like I did only the shade held a little more brown than mine did. In the right light I'd bet it gets bright though.

One of the Elves who seemed to be taking empty plates and trays out of the room approached him and said, "Master Dwarf, forgive me, but Elves do not frequently indulge in meats."

The dwarves all looked at the elf like he had three eyes and an uncomfortable silence built over a few seconds. I was curious and decided to walk over, "When do you guys eat meat?" It had been a thought in the back of my mind. I didn't see a single piece of meat and had thought that maybe they were vegetarian. They had cheeses, so obviously they either traded for it or had livestock somewhere, right?

The elf smiled at my curiosity, "Here in Imladris the consumption of meat is saved for holidays and other special occasions. We feel that we gain more from the animal if we allow them to live their lives. After all, a single goat can offer us milk for years before it passes, killing a young goat for the meat is seen by some elves to be wasteful." He bowed, "I should be on my way, Miss."

The elf walked away and seemed to walk back to what I assumed was the kitchen. What he said made logical sense, but I have to admit, I loved my meat… If I were a guy that would sound very wrong. At least it was in my head though. I was taken out of my thoughts from one of the dwarves, "What is a human lass like you doing here?"

I jumped a little bit and looked at the four of them. They probably didn't mean it, but it came out really gruff and tough. Three of them seemed to be well aged and the one looked like the equivalent of a man in his late 30's. She knew though that like elves, dwarves lived an extended life, but were not immortal.

I rubbed the back of my head, "I honestly don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?" The redhead asked.

"Well I was found in the surrounding forest by an elf, I have no idea how I got there though. Last I remember I was falling asleep at home and when I wake up I'm lost." I hoped they wouldn't ask me much more about my home after that.

One of the older dwarves motioned me to sit down and I did so politely, not like I had anything else to do, right? "What's your name, lass?"

"Samantha."

"Well, Samantha, the name's Gloin, and this is my son Gimli. And over here we have Flic and Thesomri." I smiled in greeting. I sat with them for a while and talked with the three of them. I say three because Flic wasn't really interested in the conversation and was stuffing his face with a plate of cheese. Gloin told me the story of how him and his company had been here 60 years prior, and that lead to me hearing about the story of The Hobbit, but from the Gloin's perspective. It was fascinating hearing about the trolls and goblins and about the trip through Mirkwood. I had to wonder if Mirkwood was still so murky after all this time.

After the story Gloin shared the topic changed to the lack of alcohol and wine. They asked me about the food from my homeland and I told them it was pretty similar to here, but with a much wider variety. I told them that we had markets where we could have food from any season. I could have fresh strawberries in the middle of winter. This fascinated them, but instead of wanting to know how they wanted to know about what kind of meats were available at the market. Once again it was a massive selection. You could get beef, chicken, pork, you could even get a container filled with just chicken feet if you wanted.

Before long, I was being told about the different ways the dwarves prepared meat and wine for a feast in their homeland. Apparently that night there was going to be a welcome feast for all of the new comers who were here for a council the next day.

"What council?"

"You don't know, las?" Gimli began, "That's why we are here, to speak with Lord Elrond and his council."

"Okay, but what about? Since your home is so far away it must be very important."

"Aye, we be discussing the future of Middle Earth."

My head started to hurt a little bit, this was all very familiar. I should know why the council was meeting, right? "I think I'm gonna go walk around for a while and stretch my legs." I said while standing and giving them a smile, "It was nice to meet all of you."

They all said their goodbyes as I turned and walked off into one of the gardens. It was a few hours past noon I think. That's what it felt like. Since there wasn't much of anything else to do, and I had a small headache I decided to take a look around.

The garden was beautiful. There were all sorts of flowers of many colors and sizes. I followed the path for a while and found my way down to a river. The water was calm and the shore was full of rocks. I got down and picked some up, nearly all of them were perfect for skipping. I decided to take my shoes off and fold the bottom of the dress up to my knees and tie it to make it stay. Kinda like how some girls I knew from highschool tied their t-shirts. My feet touched the water and it was nice and cool. I picked up a few rocks and started skipping them to see how far I could get them.

It reminded me of going camping with my uncle, brothers and cousins. My uncle would take us camping every summer when we were little and we would play in the lake and skip rocks. I remembered how we would roast marshmallows and how my uncle dared my little brother to take a bite of a raw cob of corn. How he found a ripped apart and abandoned laptop and threw it in the fire and watched the bright blue and purple flames… not good for the environment at all, but oh well. I was kind of sick of nature by the time I would get home, mom and dad were always there when I got back.

Just the thought of my parents made my throat tighten. The thought of never seeing them again hurt more than anything. Before coming here even the thought of them dying was enough to make me want to cry my eyes out. I'd probably been skipping rocks and thinking about home for a little over an hour when I heard a familiar voice, "Samantha?"

I turned and Legolas was standing on the shore next to my abandoned shoes. "Hello, what's up?"

"I was wondering where you had gone. Lord Elrond has asked me to keep watch over you for the time being."

I turned back around and began picking up a few more rocks from the shallow water. Like a babysitter? I wasn't sure how I felt about Elrond wanting me to be watched all the time… but if Legolas did it it wasn't so bad. He was a nice piece of eye candy. Well, all elves are, but Legolas had something about him that seemed more wild. Maybe because he was a wood elf and not a high elf. I always thought it was funny "high" elves, it sounded like they were on pot.

As I was bending down he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Skipping rocks," I stood up and turned my head, "have you never done it before?"

"The thought has never crossed my mind." he told me honestly.

I slightly gawked at him. "You're how old and have never skipped a rock?" Ignoring the surprised look on his face I walked up to him on the shore and handed him one of the rocks from my hand. He looked at it for a second before taking it awkwardly from my hand. I moved to stand next to him, "I'll show you. Hold the rock in your hand like this." I held the rock in my hand and he copied me and watched me with calculating eyes.

"And throw it like this," and I threw the rock, making it skip three times before it sunk. I would have told him to throw it like a Frisbee, but I had a feeling he had no idea what that was.

I watched him as he took the rock and threw it just like I had done and the rock just made a big splash and sunk. I picked up another rock and gave it to him, "You need to throw it like a saucer. Make it spin as you release it." He did it again and this time was able to make the rock skip once. "Good job!" I smacked him on the back and he turned and looked at me, surprise etched on his flawless features.

"Thank you. How long have you been doing this for?"

Shrugging I stated, "A while, I'm not really sure how to tell time here."

He nodded his head and looked back at me, "There is a few hours until the evening meal, is there anything you want to see?"

"Well..." I began, "I already feel like I've seen so much since coming here." I thought for a moment and then I suddenly remembered something. "So, is it true that Imladris has animals? Like goats?"

He nodded.

I put my hand on my cheek and gave him a small smile, "Can we go see them?"

There was a pause. "You want to go see goats?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

Another pause. "No." he stated simply, "it's just I didn't think a young woman like yourself would want to so see farm animals."

I shrugged, "Well back home I don't get to see farm animals too much. Mostly dogs and cats. I have always enjoyed playing with animals though."

He nodded, "It isn't that far, let's go." He turned and walked a few steps while I had a huge grin on my face and hurried to put my shoes on.

We walked to the barn and when we got there it reminded me of every other barn that I had been in, only it wasn't the stereotypical big red barn. It had a flat roof and was made of stone, like most of the buildings here. The smell was familiar as well, only it wasn't so strong. The barnyard smell didn't punch me in the face when we walked in. Elves took pride in everything it would seem.

When I spotted a goat, I gasped and went up to it. I bent down and held my hand out for the little animal to sniff. When its little nose sniffed my fingers and it started licking my hand I swooned. "You are so adorable!" I said while giving the animal pets and rubs all over its back and head. "Are you gonna pet her, Legolas?"

He didn't say anything as he walked up and slowly ran his large hands over the animal. The goat made its signature sound, making me swoon even more. As I gave the goat more attention for being so overwhelmingly adorable I noticed that Legolas was looking at me. The look on his face reminded me of the one I made when I had no idea what to do on a math problem.

I was gonna ask him if he was alright but I heard another goat make an adorable sound and I looked over, in one of the stalls was a baby goat! Maybe only a few weeks old. I thought that the one we were petting was momma and that was baby. I couldn't help myself and slowly walked toward the baby. I looked back at the momma to see it she was gonna ram me or not, but she seemed cool with it. The baby made another noise and I moved to pick him up. He didn't put up much of a fight, just made a sound like he was surprised.

I moved back over to Legolas and the momma and sat down on the ground. I didn't really care about getting my dress dirty, I could always change, right?

"Isn't he cute?" I asked Legolas as I snuggled the little kid.

Legolas smiled and nodded at me as he continued to absentmindedly pet the momma goat.

We stayed there for a while, maybe an hour. I played with the goats and Legolas watched, occasionally chuckling at my antics, like when the baby ran after me and I pretended to get hurt. I played with the baby kinda like it was a human baby, even though it didn't understand I was pretending, I had a blast.

After a while Legolas said it was time to go and I reluctantly nodded. I picked the baby up one more time and snuggled it. I had a feeling it would be my last time seeing the little fella. "I'm gonna miss you." I said dramatically before placing him on the ground and walking with Legolas.

"You're going to have to change." He told me simply.

I looked down at the dress and it was indeed dirty. Covered in dirt and hair and who knows what else. I clasped my hands in front of me, just below my breasts. It was something I did when I was nervous, the more I played with my fingers the more nervous and anxious I was. "Yeah, I guess you are right… Would you mind finding Penneth for me? I'm sure there is another dress or something I can wear in my room, but I'll never be able to tie it in the back."

He nodded, "Of course."

~3rd Person POV~

The feast was a lively event. There was music, dancing and plenty of wine for everyone to enjoy. Samantha sat at a table toward the edge of the hall, watching everyone as they talked and chatted. Legolas was talking with a man she had not met yet. He had longer dark hair and a scruffy beard. He was good looking and wasn't an elf, he had no pointy ears.

As she was thinking to herself she turned to see a man sit at her table. "Well, hello M'Lady, what is a beautiful woman doing all alone?"

The smell of alcohol washed over her and she knew he had to be drunk. Samantha felt a feeling of anxiousness build inside her chest. She didn't usually have men talking to her out of the blue like this. And the way he talked to her, he was obviously trying to flirt. Her hands clasped on her lap and she looked around a bit, not making eye contact with him. Maybe if she ignored him he would go away?

"Oh come on now, I won't bite." He reached his hand out and stroked her hair, mesmerized by the color.

That's when she knew she wasn't going to just sit and take this. She stood up and walked away, leaving the drunken man alone, watching her as she left.

Samantha rubbed the left side of her head where his hand had been. It was so awkward and strange, she wanted that feeling to go away. Who even did something like that anyway? She was just gonna go to bed, parties weren't her thing anyway. She wouldn't say she was traumatized, just annoyed. Parties usually made her feel alienated, and having a drunk person approach her wasn't something that improved her mood.

Legolas noticed the redhead getting up and leaving the room, and he also took notice of the man who watched her as she left. He could tell something had happened to upset her based on her body language. He turned to Aragorn and excused himself, moving swiftly through the room of people and briskly walking to catch up to her.

Samantha was maybe halfway to her room when she heard her name, "Samantha."

She turned, "Oh, hey, Legolas."

He walked up to her so they were only a few feet apart. "What is the matter? You left so fast."

She looked to the side, "Just a drunk. He had too much to drink and was flirting with me. I thought if I just ignored him he would lose interest, but when he grabbed my hair I decided to just leave. I'm currently on my way to bed."

Legolas nodded, anger brewing within his chest. How vulgar for a man to grab at a woman when she did not consent. Even if the man was drunk there was no excuse for that kind of behavior. It wouldn't surprise him if this sort of thing happened again. Samantha was very cute, large round eyes, a button nose and pinchable cheeks. Not to mention her hair was beautiful and made her stick out like a sore thumb. Also, as much as he hated to admit it, he did notice her sizable bosom.

"If you feel you need to rest I will escort you to your room."

"Thank you, Legolas." As they walked, she felt bad taking him away from the party. "I'm sorry I took you away from the man you were talking too. It seemed pretty important."

You could call it important. They had been discussing the council and what Lord Elrond might have to speak about. Also about Gollum's escape from Mirkwood. "It is alright. They were topics we can discuss later."

The rest of the way was walked in a comfortable silence. When they came to the door, Legolas had planned on wishing her a good night but she spoke first, "I have a favor to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Well, I'm not gonna be able to get this dress off on my own, do you mind coming in and just undoing the back?" She realized that could be a little awkward, "Don't worry, you don't see anything, I just can't reach the ties in the back."

He looked at her awkwardly. He had never been asked that before. Though Samantha seemed to have a habit of surprising him. She was like no other woman he had ever met. He was thoroughly entertained by her and her quirks. He had never helped a lady undress before and he wanted to go get Penneth, but he didn't want to have her wait for him to get her. So, he nodded.

"Thank you," she smiled. She opened the door and walked in and tossed off the slipper-like shoes.

Legolas walked in and when she turned her back to him he took it as his que to start. He took a look at the ties and quickly and swiftly undid them. He stopped and she turned and looked at him, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

He nodded, "You're welcome. Goodnight, Samantha."

"Goodnight, Legolas."

* * *

A/N - Hello! Sorry it's been a little while. I wanted this to be longer and get to the Council this chapter, but I wanted to get something out there. Not the best chapter, so sorry about that.

Feel free to Favorite, Follow and Review!

Bu-Bye~!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I looked around at everyone sitting in the half circle. Men, elves, and the three dwarves I had talked to the previous day were here. I had been surprised when Penneth told me I would be attending the Council. I couldn't imagine why though, what would I do? Even though I didn't know what would happen, I felt a heavy and unsettling feeling twisting inside my gut.

When I first sat down in my chair, Gandalf introduced me to the hobbit, Frodo. He seemed like a kind and gentle person, he was much different than everyone else here, and not because of his race. I knew we would get along well.

When I first took a look at everyone I noticed the drunk from the other night sitting across from me. We had made eye contact before he looked to the ground, clearly he must have been embarrassed or ashamed from his behavior last night. Good.

Once everyone had seated, Elrond took his place behind the stone-like table, and began to speak, "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." Elrond spoke with passion, trying to get everyone in the group to understand the importance this meeting held. And, I had to say, the entire situation had me feeling intense deja vu. He paused and turned toward Frodo who sat between Gandalf and I. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

Frodo reluctantly stood and made his way to the stone. From his hand he placed a ring on the center of the table. For a reason I couldn't comprehend I wanted to touch it… I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What was I thinking?

I noticed everyone was talking in hushed tones of surprise and awe. Most everyone was staring at the Ring. When Frodo sat down he let out a sigh, as if a burden had been lifted from him. I placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. Even I could tell there was something ominous about that ring, carrying it must have been a burden. He gave a small smile in return, but our attention was quickly caught by a familiar voice.

"It is a gift." The drunk from last night said with suppressed excitement. He stood and turned to everyone, "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring?" No one spoke, so he continued, "Long has my father the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people, are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against him."

It was then that someone spoke up, "You cannot wield it, none of us can." It was the man Legolas had been talking to the other night at the party. "The one Ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master."

The other man turned and said accusingly, "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"

Legolas then stood. It seemed this man had struck a nerve within the elf. "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." The way he said it sent a chill down my spine. It was cool and calm, but when I looked at his eyes, there was a sharpness to them.

The man turned back toward Aragorn. "Aragorn. This is Isildur's heir?" he asked in slight disbelief.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas added.

Then Aragorn said something in Elvish I didn't understand. But, if I had to guess, based on his tone and expression, he wanted Legolas to stop defending him.

"Gondor has no king." The man said before returning to his seat. "Gondor needs no king."

An uncomfortable silence settled on the Council before Gandalf decided to speak up. "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice." Elrond began, "The ring must be destroyed."

There was silence before the dwarf Gimli said, "What are we waiting for?" He grabbed his ax and wasted no time in attacking the Ring. When his ax made contact with the Ring, there was a bright light and the ax shattered. I held my hands up to protect myself from the broken ax pieces, but before my arms could fly up, I was shocked when I saw a massive flaming eye. My heart hit my feet and I shook my head from the shock. What the hell was that thing? Whatever it was, it made me feel sick.

I was brought out of my own thoughts by Elrond, "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli Son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you, must do this."

Once again, there was an eery silence. No one wanted to do such a task. Even though I didn't know what Mordor was like, I knew that it must be evil if no one here wanted to go.

The man from earlier spoke once again, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there, that does not sleep. The great Eye, is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire, and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with 10,000 men you could do this, it is folly." Yup. I knew I didn't want to go there now! Fuck that.

Legolas shot from his seat, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli shot back at him.

"And if we fail, what then?" The man questioned, "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Gimli stood as well, "I'll be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!"

And that's when all hell broke loose. Everyone was on their feet and yelling and shouting at one another. Gandalf stood and began yelling at them about how foolish they were for bickering at a time like this.

I was surprised when Frodo stood and yelled, "I will take it!" He had to shout it a few times for his usually soft-spoken voice to be heard. Once everyone had heard him though, everyone was stunned into silence. Even me. A hobbit. A man who looked like a child, was brave enough to take on a task like this.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor." Frodo said confidently. Everyone continued to stare at him for several moments before he continued, a little more reluctant, "Though, I do not know the way."

Gandalf nodded and moved to stand behind him, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

I turned to Aragorn who stood, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." He walked up to Frodo and took one of the hobbits tiny hands in his, "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas announced.

"And my ax." Gimli added.

Even though I was still sitting in my chair, from behind the group I could tell Legolas and Gimli felt awkward standing next to each other. Seems elves and dwarves don't get along.

And then the man from last night walked forward. "You carry the fates of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

Everyone was a little startled when a voice yelled out, "Hey!" I turned and saw another hobbit run right past me to stand beside Frodo. "He can't go anywhere without me!"

Without a pause Lord Elrond responded, "No indeed it is not possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Not a moment later another shout came from the opposite direction. "You'll have to tie us up in a sack to stop us!" Two more hobbits came to stand beside Frodo.

The second of the two said, "Anyway, you need people of Intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing."

"Well that rules you out, Pip."

I had to chuckle at that one.

Elrond looked over the group, "Nine companions. Though..." There was a pause and Elrond looked at me, as did Gandalf with a knowing gaze. Everyone else followed suit, their eyes holding a look of confusion. My own eyes widened. What was going on? Elrond continued, "a tenth companion will join on this quest."

There were murmurs and for a second and I was too shocked to speak. When I regained my senses I stood up, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. You want me to go on this quest of doom? Why?" I wanted to hide the panic in my voice but it was hard to. I think I also might have been looking at them like they had three eyes and butts for mouths.

"This quest is no place for a lady." The man from Gondor said. "She knows not of how to protect herself and has seen nothing of war." There was a murmur of agreement from most everyone else.

Even though he had a point I wanted to defend myself. Besides, it's not like I had no idea how to fight, I had been told I was a pretty good shot with a bow at Archery club several years back. Before I could say anything, Gandalf spoke, "You forget Boromir, the hobbits are the same way. They have lived their life in the Shire, free from the horrors of war and violence. Saying she should not join for her lack of experience would suggest you feel this way about the hobbits as well."

Boromir said nothing. I thought I heard some of the elves say something under their breath, but it was in Elvish, so I wouldn't understand it even if I heard it clearly.

"But Gandalf," I stated again, "Why?"

The Wizard walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, "It is by the will of the Valar that you have come to us. It is your fate that you accompany us on this journey." He paused, "But, do not be afraid, I will guide you, and watch over you." He gestured to the rest of the company and I looked at them all with wide eyes. I couldn't believe this. I was going to go on a death mission. My stomach was tied in knots and I could have thrown up right there.

I think Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn said something after that, but my panicked brain was racing. As Elrond gave us all his blessing I was running everything down in my head. So, I was going to accompany these men on a journey to Mordor, which according to Boromir is like a hell on Earth. If you couldn't do it with ten thousand men then how would someone expect us to do it with ten? Although, with such a small party, stealth would be something to account for. We could maybe sneak in. But the eye! That thing that I saw, was it always watching? And, if it was, would stealth tactics even work? On top of all that, I can't defend myself. I might know how to shoot a bow, but it has been years, and not to mention I've never aimed for a moving target! Or killed anything before, except bugs. But, these guys must have all been pretty experienced, right? All have seen battle and were powerful. Even so, protecting myself and the four hobbits has got to be a challenge, and it isn't hard to tell that I would be the biggest target! I am a foot taller than all of them!

I covered my face with my hands and heaved a stressed out sigh as everyone moved to get ready for the journey. I sat back down in the chair behind me and kept my face covered. My anxiety was acting up and I focused on my breathing, willing myself not to cry from the invisible hand squeezing my chest.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked.

Taking my shaking hands from my face I looked up and saw that all four hobbits were standing around me. If I wasn't on the verge of having an anxiety attack I would have found it amusing how they looked like children with huge hairy feet. I nodded, "Yeah, just nervous." I gave a small fake laugh and swallowed the ball in my throat. My hands rubbed together in an attempt to stop the tremors.

"You look more scared to death than nervous." one of them said, gaining a quick jab in the side by the third.

The heavier set hobbit who was the first to run into the council said, "If it makes you feel better Miss, we're all nervous as well."

I nodded and forced a laugh, "We're all a bit out of our element in this, aren't we?" Looking up at the four of them I said, "I know Frodo, but what are your names?" Distractions always worked best to calm me down, so I decided to focus on talking to these four.

"I'm Sam. Samwise Gamgee." I should have been a bit surprised to have one of them share my nickname, but my lack of surprise is what got me. It was as if I should have known that or something.

"I'm Meriadoc, but everyone calls me Merry."

"And I'm Pippin. Short for Peregrin."

I nodded, "Nice to meet you all. I'm Samantha."

Sam laughed, "I hope we don't get confused too much."

"We'll call you Sam, and me Samantha. That should help a bit, right?"

"Yeah, don't be worried about it, you two are very different after all." Pippin stated.

I smiled, feeling myself slowly beginning to calm down. "So, you guys are from the Shire? What's it like?" She remembered Gandalf saying where they were from. Since she couldn't say much about where she was from, they could tell her about their home.

The thought of home seemed to bring a smile to their faces and Sam was the first to speak. He spoke about the rolling hills and the lush landscape. He spoke of the other hobbits there and their love for good food and drink. I found it heartwarming see all their faces soften at the thoughts of home. It tugged at my heart realizing that they missed their homes just as much as I missed mine. Even though I was in an entirely different universe, it must feel like it to them. Their home compared to recent events are so different. They probably had never even held a sword before this journey, and now there was a chance they would die.

"Where is your home, Samantha?" Frodo asked. Shit. Talking about their home, of course they would ask about mine!

"Well," I looked up at the sky and thought quietly about how the sky was just like home. "It's a long way away from here. A lot different too. Where I am from, there are no hobbits, dwarves, or elves. Just humans. To me you look like children, to be honest."

I saw Merry nod in understanding at the last comment before Frodo asked, "That must be a long way from here if you have never seen any other race."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I still don't know how I ended up here though. Gandalf said it was the will of the Valor. What is that? Is it like God or something? A group of Wizards like Gandalf that like playing tricks?"

Before the hobbits could even give me their opinion on the matter Aragorn stepped forward, "You will find your purpose, do not fret. For now, we must all prepare for the journey ahead." He looked at them all and nodded, his eyes clearly saying that we needed to prepare.

The hobbits all said goodbye and headed off to prepare. I did the same. Walking to my room I did my best not to think about what could happen on the journey. I would do my best to only think about the present. The future was so uncertain and crazy to think about.

When I had arrived at my room I found Penneth preparing clothes for me. She looked up from her work of folding and gave a small smile, "Hello, M'lady, Lord Elrond sent me to help prepare you for your journey. He said to have everything prepared by midday."

I nodded, trying to wrap my head around everything. I sat as Penneth explained to me how I should bathe once a week if possible. I cringed at that, I was used to bathing every other day. Once a week or less was going to feel disgusting. She showed me strips of cloth that I was supposed to use for my period, and a few other things she had packed away in my bag.

Next she gave me my traveling clothes to change into. A cloth band was used as my bra, and I wore two layers. A thin cotton undershirt and pants to help with sweat, and then dark brown trousers and a dark blue long sleeved top. The leather boots given to me were uncomfortable, but she told me that they would mold to my feet better within a day. She handed me a belt to help keep the pants over my waist, as well as give me a place to hold small objects outside of my pack. Lastly, I was given a dark cloak. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought I could actually pass as a person from this world.

By the time Penneth had explained everything about traveling and answered any random questions I had along the way it was only a short time before I had to depart. As a last favor, I asked Penneth for a journal and something to write with. She seemed intrigued by my request and I told her I planned to write everything I could down on paper. I had never had much success in a diary before, but I was sure as hell gonna try this time. When she presented it to me, I shoved it into my pack, as well as my hoodie. No way I was leaving without that.

Once I had everything packed and ready to go, I gave my goodbye to Penneth. I hugged her and she seemed a little startled at first, but returned the embrace. I told her I would miss her and I hoped to see her again one day. Afterall, she had taken care of me since I arrived here.

Walking to the area we were supposed to meet, I ran into someone I didn't expect. Mister Boromir. I turned a corner and nearly ran into his chest. Why did everyone have to be so tall? He could rest his head on mine easily with how short I am! Not that I want that or anything.

"Are you alright? Forgive me, I did not see you."

Yeah, 'cause I'm short. "I'm fine. Just looking for all the others."

He nodded, "Of course. They are that way." He gestured with his head and of course it was in the opposite direction I was going to go. He began to walk and I followed after him, doing my best to keep pace with him and his long legs. After a few minutes of awkward silence he slowed and turned to me as he walked, "I am sorry about the other night. I was drunk and acted dishonorably."

I shrugged it off, "It's fine. Alcohol does some crazy stuff to people. I'll let it slide this time, but if it happens again you might just get slapped in the face. Besides, I can tell you were upset about it, you couldn't even look me in the eye earlier at the council." Boromir didn't say anything, just looked down at me with a perplexed expression. "So, how about we leave the past behind us and try to get along, huh?" I offered him a smile and to my surprise he returned it.

It only took us about five or so more minutes to get to the others, and in that time I asked him how far away his home was and what it was like. It sounded like a great city, white walls and all. As he spoke I felt another wave of deja vu but I shook it off. I was starting to get used to it now.

When we arrived, supplies were being packed onto a pony by Aragorn and Legolas. I noticed Legolas glance at us as we approached and even though his expression didn't change, something in his eyes did.

Not long after that, we were off. As we crossed over a bridge into the wilderness and left the Elven City, I gave one more glance over my shoulder and sighed. This was going to be one hell of an adventure.

* * *

A/N - Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! About time I updated again, right? :P Thank you so much for the favs, follows and reviews! It means a lot to me :)

I want to say just a few things... First, I am going to be writing a lot of things that are in the "downtime" of the films. The pace of the movies feels like it all happens in a few weeks of months. But, it actually it all happens in 13 months. So, because of this, I am going to use the downtime to develop relationships with characters. There will be chapters were there are only events that I have made up. Second, I don't want the relationship between Legolas and Samantha to be too fast paced. I want to make it feel more natural and not "instant" as some stories are. There will be plenty of bonding moments for the two to interact and get to know each other. So don't bite my head off if they haven't kissed in the next 10 chapters... please...? That's all for now.

Feel free to Favorite, Follow and Review!

Bu-Bye~!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I never imagined that the world could hold such beauty. Not even the video from the show Planet Earth could compare to the serene beauty of Middle Earth. Of course traveling through it was horrible and at times every step I took felt like one thousand needles poking me in the feet. At least the view made it a little more bearable. We passed though a large forest and currently were going through a large hilly grassland sort of area. There were bushes scattered around, but thy were low to the ground so I could see for what seemed like miles.

"You always seem to get caught up in the view."

"I didn't even have to turn to know it was Legolas who spoke to me, "Where I come from I don't see this kind of thing. People there tend to do what they want and not think about what it does to nature."

We continued walking toward the front of the line. For a reason I wasn't quite sure of, Gandalf insisted we travel in single file as best we could. While I kept walking and looking over the vast landscape, I lost my footing over a rock and gasped as I started to tumble down. Only I didn't get too far as Legolas wrapped his arm around my middle and pulled me up straight. My heart raced, it was like I was walking down a flight of stairs expecting the floor to be there, but instead there was one more evil step walking for me to trip on it and break my neck.

Legolas let me go and nudged me to keep walking, "While the land is vast and awe inspiring, I've told you to be aware of your surroundings, have I not?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'll work on it."

"We had been traveling for about 2 weeks now, I wasn't sure exactly because the days start to melt together after a while. During the first few days in the woods Legolas proposed something to me…

* * *

Once camp had been set up I was about to go to the tree I had chosen to be my tree, I heard a loud thud. I looked up and around, confused. The others must think I look like a cat or a dog doing that. Then I heard it again. "What on earth is that?"

My question hit the ears of Gimli, "Oh, that would be the elf. He went off to practice his bow I suppose."

I nodded as a third thud could be heard. A wave of curiosity took over and I began walking over to were I heard the sound coming from. Just a two minute walk later and there he was, about to fire off another shot. He must have heard me coming because he lowered his bow and turned to me. "Is there something I can help you with, Samantha?"

I smiled, "No, I just heard the thudding back at camp and thought I would check it out." I looked past him at a tree I saw several meters away and saw the arrows sticking out, they must all be less than an inch apart. "Practice is great, but doesn't it waste arrows? You have to make more, right?"

"He chuckled and smoothly took off his quiver and extended it out to me. "Take one."

"My face must have been amusing, I looked at him oddly before reaching out and grabbing an arrow from his quiver. I looked from him to the arrow, "Okay, now what?"

"Look," he indicated the quiver and right before my eyes another arrow seemed to grow from the bottom of the quiver, like a plant.

I stood there dumbfounded for a few minutes as Legolas looked on in amusement, the smile on his perfect face widening. "That," I said after a minute, "is amazing!" I looked at the arrow in my hands and continued, "So you have a magical quiver? Is there some sort of black hole where arrows come out? How did you get something like this?"

Legolas gently took the arrow from me and put it back in the quiver before slinging it onto his back once again. "It was a gift from my father a few decades ago. I was unable to protect someone because I ran out of arrows, so he went out of his way to retrieve this for me."

Sensing that the story behind that statement was a touchy one, I asked a different question, "Are magical items like that really rare?"

"Unbelievably, to this day I don't know where my father got it from."

Still a little fascinated by the quiver I looked at his bow, "Anything special about your bow?"

"He looked down at the bow in his hand, "Not in the way my quiver is special, if that is what you mean."

I nodded and paused a moment in thought, "Can I try it?"

He looked at his bow, and then at me. He didn't seem offended, more like he was curious, before a small grin touched his face. "Of course."

I took the bow from his hands and an arrow as well. Putting the arrow on the string, I took a stance and tried to draw the bow string back…

Key word...

TRY.

I couldn't get the string to go back even an inch!

Legolas chuckled and took the items from my hands. "I am not surprised, the weight on this bow in well over a hundred pounds."

I gawked at him for a moment, a quick thought of what amazing muscles he must have under his clothes crossed my mind before I brushed that under the rug. "Holy smokes, how far can you shoot that thing?"

He shrugged, "I've never measured to be honest with you. It always gets the job done though." He looked down at me with a thoughtful expression, the wheels in his mind turning behind his piercing green eyes. "If you would like, I could make you a bow. Having a way to protect yourself would be beneficial."

I could have hugged him after that comment but before I could say anything I heard Boromir's voice, "Don't you think a sword would be better suited for her?"

Both Legolas and myself turned around and saw Boromir with a bundle of sticks in his arms. He must have been grabbing more firewood for the camp. "A bow allows her to stay out of danger, a sword implies being in the middle of battle." Did I hear a note of hostility? He hid it well, but I take pride in being able to read most people.

"And what if an ambush occurs, a novice couldn't defend themselves in close quarters with a bow." Boromir seemed a little on edge too. I'm guessing Boromir's drunken stunt was still annoying Legolas, I couldn't think of any other reason they would be so cold to each other since the beginning. Goes to show the prince is stubborn.

I held up my hands, "Why not both?" The two sat in silence, "That way I can defend myself from a distance and up close!" Still silence. And more silence. "I'm just gonna take that as a yes… I'm going back to camp now, have fun getting along!"

* * *

I assume I left the two of them there in an awkward stand still for a few minutes after that. Later that day Legolas sat me down and told me the basics of being a good bowman, or bow-woman I guess. One of those things was to always be watching your surroundings. Guess I still needed to work on that one.

Boromir had been training me along with Mary and Pippin since then. I've been cut once or twice, but nothing bad. It was exhilarating and I hoped I would never have to be in a real fight. Legolas only got to start my training a few days ago, finding proper material to make a bow took him several days, but that was fine. He said I had excellent form for a beginner and practice would be my best friend from now on. He even made my a quiver and some arrows. Whenever he made me practice he would let me use his quiver though.

After a little more walking we stopped for lunch. The sun high in the sky and the rocks we rested on were nice and toasty, a nice contrast to the chilly breeze. I helped Sam gather the food and cooking materials before we started cooking. The smell was amazing, I never thought I could be so excited for roasted potatoes and sausage.

Once the food was done I took a plate and joined the other members of the fellowship to watch Boromir train Mary and Pippin. It was entertaining to see the two fighting a man twice their size.

"Move your feet." Aragorn instructed from the sidelines.

"You look good Pippin!" Mary said through a bite of sausage he had snatched.

Pippin gave a quick thanks before it was Mary's turn again. I was happy Boromir let me have this chance to rest. He and Legolas had overworked me yesterday. I couldn't remember the last time my body ached so much.

I had fun watching with the others, but Gimli's loud clear voice caught my attention, "If anyone was to ask for my opinion,which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long was round." I turned toward the dwarf as he spoke to Gandalf who was smoking his pipe. "Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."

"Gandalf looked at the dwarf and gave a very ominous answer. "No, Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

"Gandalf," I asked, "What about the Mine's makes you so uneasy?"

He opened his mouth to answer me but Legolas grabbed our attention by shooting up and haste-fully walking to a higher rock.

I didn't pay any attention to Mary and Pippin as they tackled Boromir, I got a sinking feeling in my gut watching Legolas so on edge. "Legolas?" It was then I noticed a weird looking cloud in the sky.

As I stood to try and get a better look, Sam spoke, "What is that?"

Gimli turned to look, "Nothing, just a wisp of cloud."

"Something doesn't feel right about it." I said, sharing a glance with Gandalf as he looked at me with a gaze unreadable, even for me.

"It's moving fast," Boromir stated, "against the wind"

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas shouted.

Suddenly the whole camp moved in a blur around me, I moved to put out the fire as Sam grabbed the bags of equipment. Suddenly Legolas grabbed me by the arm and pulled me behind a rocks ledge. An arm circled around my shoulders protectively and even though my mind and body were filled with adrenaline, I could feel heat radiating off of his body. Not even five seconds later a swarm of birds that looked like crows flew by. Just as quickly as they came, they left.

Legolas quickly let go of me and helped me up and we gathered with the others.

"Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras" Gandalf announced while looking at the mountains above us.

I followed his gaze and groaned a little. This just keeps getting better and better.

* * *

I know this is a short chapter, but I wanted to get something out there. Hope you guys liked it, see ya next time! :D

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Bu-Bye~!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The trek up the mountain was dangerous. The rolling hills had become steep ledges and the temperature continued to plummet lower and lower. Samantha walked with her cloak wrapped tightly around her as they entered the snowy terrain. It didn't seem that bad at first, but when the snow was several inches deep and became harder and harder to walk through her opinion began to change.

Samantha looked at her companions. The hobbits were also clinging to their cloaks as they marched through the snow. Their light weight bodies allowed for minimal sink-age into the ever-deepening snow. Gandalf, Aragorn and Boromir seemed to tolerate the conditions well, their endurance and experience making the trek less of a challenge for them. Gimli's body sunk into the snow, nearly covering up to his waist at times. The dwarf did not attempt to lift his legs above the snow, instead he only pushed through, like a snowplow. Legolas seemed to know what he was doing. Graceful steps and movement made his maneuvering through the snow look easy. Samantha herself grew tired of lifting her feet to take another step, so she took after Gimli and began plowing through. It was hard, but tolerable.

Eventually the drifts leveled out and they were able to walk sum-what normally. The vast mountains began to seem like that of the Sahara desert's dunes, only with snow instead off sand.

Aragorn and Gandalf looked at their companions. The hobbits were growing tired, their faces flushed red from the cold, and everyone could hear the chattering of Samantha's teeth through the wind. The sun was only an hour from setting and so Gandalf called for camp. A protruding rock created a decent enough spot to set up camp. Boromir took off a pack from Bill the pony that was full of firewood and began constructing a fire. The hobbits all moved to gather the food supplies. They had adapted well to only eating one or two meals a day.

Samantha helped the hobbits carry a pack supplies but quickly sat down on the cold ground. Pippin watched her for a moment, "Are you okay, Samantha?" he asked her as she proceeded to take off her boots and socks.

Thankful that she didn't have frost bite she grinned, "Yeah, just drying out my socks." She took out another pair she had in her bag and placed the new pair on and allowed the used ones to dry by the fire. Letting the heat soak into her cold body, she looked at the rest of the hobbits, "How are you guys holding up?"

"Well, it's bloody cold for sure!" Pip stated.

"I don't think I've ever been so cold before for so long." Mary chimed in.

"It's not as cold as dipping in the river in the fall!" Sam said with a quick laugh.

This caused Frodo and all the other hobbits to burst with laughter as the four of them reminisced about the times as children to go swimming when their mothers told them not to.

Samantha smiled at the stories but pulled her cloak closer to herself. She had always been weak to the cold. While zoning out she didn't notice Boromir sit next to her until he had already draped his own cloak around them both. "You seem cold, are you alright?"

She looked at him with a surprised expression. If her cheeks had not already been red from the cold it would have been really obvious that she was blushing. "Uh, yeah, other than cold I'm fine."

As the two began chatting about anything and everything, across the fire an elf was watching them. Legolas was indeed still upset with Boromir after his advances on Samantha back in Imladris. Perhaps, though, he should try to let it go, Boromir seemed respectable enough over the last few weeks. There were no repeat offenses of what happened and to top it off Samantha seemed to get along with him just as she did with everyone else.

Even so, Legolas couldn't help but kick himself in the butt at a missed opportunity. He should have been the one to offer her warmth when he knew she was cold. Though, putting himself in such a position with her seemed out of place. He saw himself as a sort of guardian over her. She had a personality he had never seen the likes of before and in his eyes he saw purity. Someone worthy of protection and guidance in this world. He had already vowed to protect her, just as he had vowed to protect Frodo.

Although, to protect Frodo was out of duty to the realm, to protect Samantha was a decision all of his own. Even now he couldn't place it, just as he couldn't place the small feeling of annoyance at seeming the two together. Legolas knew that he was an emotional elf compared to others of his kind, but even now he knew he was filled with conflicting emotions. Some of which, he didn't even understand, so he pushed them away.

The night grew darker and the company grew closer to the fire and to each other for warmth. As they all fell asleep one by one Boromir stayed awake. Silently he watched the sleeping face of the woman next to him. Relishing every movement she made to get closer to him and the warmth he provided. In truth, he had desired this for a while now but would never do so without her permission or good reason. So, when he saw her shivering, he took the chance given to him. Boromir fell asleep that night hoping that this would not be the last time he had this rare beauty so close to him.

~Samantha's POV~

I was thankful that today was nicer than yesterday. It was still cold, but the sun was shinning and the warmth on my back was amazing. We still continued through the mountains toward the pass Gandalf led us to. As we walked along the top of a hill I looked back when Frodo fell and tumbled backward. I gasped in worry, we were not too far away from a ledge that would surely injure him if he fell down it.

"Frodo!" Aragorn shouted before stopping the hobbit from rolling any further. As he helped him up I noticed Frodo's hand go right for his chest, he lost the ring.

Before I really had time to process that, Boromir walked forward and picked up the ring that hung on the thin gold chain. Instead of give the ring right back to Frodo, everyone watched as he looked at the ring for a good minute without a word. It was at that moment I knew that Boromir must be having an internal conflict with the ring. He didn't seem like the man who had joyfully told me about his brother and father just the other night.

"Boromir." Aragorn said.

I was close enough to Boromir to hear him say, "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing."

"Boromir!" Aragorn shouted, finally knocking him from his trance like state. "Give the ring to Frodo." Aragorn seemed suspicious but forceful.

Boromir walked forward and held the ring out, which Frodo haste-fully grabbed from the larger man's hands. "As you wish, I care not." He chuckled and awkwardly ruffled Frodo's hair. It was at that moment that I noticed Aragorn's hand slowly leave the hilt of his sword. My stomach dropped to my feet at the thought of what could have just happened.

The group fell into a silence after that, not a word was uttered until Gandalf led us down a sort of path that hugged the side of the cliff. One wrong step and I was sure I would be dead. Not too long later, the snow began to fall, and the winds were picking up to unreal levels.

The snow reached Gandalf's hips as he led the group, using his staff to break up the snow. The hobbits were carried by both Aragorn and Boromir through the wind. Gimli and I pulled Bill along. I felt bad for a little pony, he must have been terrified, much like myself. I was extremely jealous when I saw Legolas walk ahead, on top of the snow.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yelled back to all of us. Just then, whether it was from his scream or whatever Saruman was doing, rocks from above us began to fall. I screamed in fright as Gimli shoved me against the wall of the cliff. Thankfully, no one was hurt from them.

Aragorn screamed above the rushing winds, "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!" Gandalf then stood and began chanting what I could only assume was a spell. I couldn't understand any of the words.

As I watched Gandalf scream and bellow through the wind, Legolas was suddenly next to me, "Are you alright?"

I could only nod before a large bolt of lightening struck the mountain peak above us, causing snow to fall. It was like an avalanche! Legolas shoved me into the wall and placed his body over mine as I'm sure Aragorn and Boromir did the same with the Hobbits.

When the snow finally stopped falling I felt Legolas break through the surface and pull me up so I could breathe. I never realized just how terrifying it would be to die in an avalanche.

Everyone else popped out of the snow, like daisies!

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir shouted.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn screamed.

Gimli chimed in, his voice carrying easily in the harsh winds, "If we cannot go over a mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

There was a long and intense silence as a sinking feeling settled in my gut. Finally, Gandalf spoke, "Let the Ring bearer decide." Everyone looked at Frodo as the attention shifted to him, "Frodo?" I thought I heard a hint of a plea in Gandalf's voice. He really didn't want to go into the mines.

"We will go through the mines."

"So be it."

The trek back down the mountain didn't take nearly as long. In fact, we were able to make it out of the snows territory before dark. We didn't set up camp like usual, Gandalf led us down to the very base of the mountain. A lake had settled and before us was what looked like a giant wall carved into the mountains.

Looking at the water gave me a very bad feeling. I wanted to get away from it, so I stayed as close to the wall as possible. Legolas asked me what was wrong but I shrugged him off. As if, "I have a feeling," would be a good excuse for how I was acting.

Gandalf spent some time searching the wall until he stood back and the moonlight illuminated the outline of a doorway in the wall. It looked like a Neon light.

"It reads, the Doors of Durin Lord of Moria, speak, friend, and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" Mary asked Gandalf.

"Oh it's quite simple. If you are a friend, speak the password and the doors will open." Gandalf put his staff against the door and spoke more words I didn't understand. Everyone expected something to happen, but nothing did. And that's how we ended up spending a few hours lounging around the doors of Moria.

I sat against the wall and looked at the water, I didn't want to take my eyes off of it, for fear of what could happen. It felt so stupid, it was just water. Not like an Orc was gonna pop out or something.

"This would make a good splash, huh?"

Those words made my head shoot up and I looked over just as Pippin threw a large rock into the water. I was going to tell him to stop it but Aragorn beat me to it. He grabbed the hobbits arm, "Do not disturb the water."

Hearing that didn't make me feel much better. I stood and walked over to Aragorn, "You thing there's something in there?"

He looked down at my frightened face for a moment, "Creatures lurk in every corner of the world, best to be safe and not disturb any that might lie there."

I nodded, great. My attention was grabbed by Frodo, "What's the Elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon."

And before my eyes, this magical door opened. It was surreal to watch. Everyone walked inside as Gimli began to speak, "Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This my friend it the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine, a mine!"

Just as Gimli finished, the light of Gandalf's staff showed much more than I ever wanted to see, skeletons. Boromir ripped the words right out of my mouth, "This is no mine, it's a tomb."

My blood ran cold at the sight and Gimli fell over the body of one of his fallen kin and screamed in grief. Legolas ripped one of the arrows from a corpse easily able to identify the origin, "Goblins!"

I began to back up out of fear with the hobbits as Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn drew their weapons. "We make for the Gap of Rohan, we never should have come here. Now get out! Get out!" Boromir shouted.

My mind was racing with thoughts, I didn't want to go back and I certainly didn't want to go into the mines. My mind was made up for me as something pulled at my leg, making me scream as I was dragged outside.

* * *

Wow! Twice in one week! I'm proud of myself, lol. Hope you guys liked it and hope you got a little more insight into how Boromir and Legolas feel about Samantha at this point.

Feel free to Favorite, Follow, and Review!

Bu-Bye~!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

~Samantha's POV~

I had always wondered how I would die. In my sleep. Murder. Drowning. Falling down the stairs. Car accident. But you know what was never on the list? Being eaten by a giant tentacle monster.

Never occurred to me.

Not once.

But that was the reality I faced. I could feel the wet and slimy tentacle wrap around my shin, the suction cups leaving bruises on my leg. It happened to fast my legs were pulled out from under me and I got a face full of dirt. I could hear the others yell my name frantically as I was pulled away toward the water. All I could do was claw at the dirt before I was pulled into the air. My heart jumped out of my chest and I let out a loud scream that pierced the cool night air. I could feel another tentacle wrap around my midsection, making it harder to breathe.

Everything moved so slowly. What happened in just a minute felt like hours. I became deaf to everything around me. The sound of Boromir and Aragorn slashing the tentacles away from Frodo, the other hobbits crying out for Frodo and I, I couldn't hear any of it.

Instead I looked down at the water. The creatures head surfaced and my blood ran even colder. It looked just like the Kraken. I was going to die. My family wouldn't know what happened to me. I would never see anyone I loved ever again. I already knew these facts, but the thought of my own death made it all hit home and I screamed. It wasn't a scream of terror like the others before. It was a scream of loss and sorrow.

Just as I felt myself be taken closer to the mouth of the beast, the Kraken shrieked. I was flung into the air once again and I felt the once tight tentacles around me come loose. I expected a solid impact to the ground and a fractured skull, but instead I was caught in strong sturdy arms.

Events finally seemed to be running at normal speed and I could clearly hear Gandalf yell, "Into the Mines!"

The one carrying me, Boromir, ran with me in his arms into the cave. The world became darker, and even more so as the entrance collapsed, cutting off the Kraken from us. I could feel that we had left one danger and entered another.

After several deafening moments of silence, Gandalf tapped his staff on the ground. "We have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."

Boromir put me on my feet and I felt his hands on my shoulders, "Are you alright?"

I looked away from him as I felt the heat of tears threatening to leave my eyes and a bump form in my throat. Hell no I'm not alright. I could have been eaten alive! The whole experience had me on the verge of tears and Boromir must have noticed this since he brought me in for a firm hug. The next few minutes consisted of my almost silent crying into Boromir's chest as the others gave me a minute to calm down.

"I am glad you are safe." He whispered to me, his grip tightening slightly.

Before I could say anything to him another voice joined the conversation. "We must be moving."

Boromir let go of me and we both stood there looking at Legolas. The expression on his face was unreadable and his voice had been cold.

What crawled up his butt and died?

~3rd Person POV~

Legolas glared at Boromir and the two shared a cold stare, neither backing down from the other.

Aragorn looked between the two and it sparked a thought in his mind. He could only shake his head. "Legolas is right, we should get moving."

The stand off between the elf and the man ended as they walked through the mines after Gandalf. "Quietly now." Gandalf spoke, "It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

The Company was quiet throughout most of the trek through the mines. The hobbits and Samantha were mesmerized by the sheer size of the caverns. If not for the decayed bodies, this would be an interesting place to explore.

Legolas followed behind the Company, looking over the vast caverns with his superior vision. Although, he couldn't keep his eyes from drifting to the fiery red hair of his female companion. When he first heard her scream his blood ran cold and his body went into overdrive. All he could focus on was getting her out of harm's way. He was so close to losing her, the one he swore to protect. He couldn't allow such a thing to happen again.

His eyes then fell on Boromir. The man irked him. Not only had he shown disrespect toward Aragorn, his most trusted friend, but he had disrespected Samantha in Rivendell. He didn't think he could ever fully forgive the man for that. Drunk or not. But, today, he faced something different. There was a heat in his chest when he saw the two embrace. He knew that it was an irrational emotion but he couldn't help but be annoyed even more with the fighter. You would think as an elf with an immortal life that he would be more easily able to forgive and forget rather than carry those feelings with him. It was just another one of his many flaws.

Samantha wished that she had a clock. Without the sun it was impossible to tell how much time has passed. They had already stopped one time to take a break and sleep. Now it was what she assumed was day two. After what was sure to be hours and hours of walking, Gandalf came to a corridor containing three passages.

The Wizard stopped and said something that made everyone internally groan, "I have no memory of this place."

It was decided that they would make camp again, for what they assumed was the night. Gandalf sat in front of the three paths and dug deep within his mind to try and figure out the correct way. One wrong turn could mean the death of everyone in the Company.

A small fire was started and the group had a small meal of rations. Boromir sat next to Aragorn, "Are we lost?"

"No." Aragorn answered simply. He trusted Gandalf with his life. He would remember and show them the way.

"I think we are." Boromir said before taking a bite of the dried jerky in his hand.

"Shh," Aragorn said, "Gandalf's thinking."

A little further away the rest of the company sat. "Merry?" Pippin whispered.

"What?"

"I'm hungry." Everyone rolled their eyes at that comment.

"You're always hungry." Samantha sighed.

Pippin shrugged.

Samantha looked back at the other men in the company. Legolas was sitting on a stone examining one of his arrows, deep in thought. Her gaze drifted over to Aragorn and Boromir as they talked amongst themselves. She couldn't help but think that the two were very handsome. And, not including the time he had gotten drunk in Rivendell, he was acting very gentlemanly and sweet. At that moment Boromir seemed to feel eyes on him and their eyes met.

Samantha quickly looked back and tried to focus on the Hobbit's conversation about potatoes. Boromir looked at her and smirked. He had noticed her looking over at him a few times since they had been in the mines. At first he was against having a woman in the party, but maybe, it would be more interesting than he thought it would be. All he hoped was that she wouldn't get in the way and get hurt.

After that minor embarrassment, Samantha looked down at her hands and occasionally gave input on her opinions of food to the hobbits. At one point she looked up and this time her eyes landed on the elf of the party. He was still lost in thought looking at his arrow. Before going to bed that night she thought about how the elf's beauty had a different sort of allure than Boromir's rugged appearance.

On the third day not much had changed. She showed the hobbits a game called rock paper scissors and the 5 of them decided to gamble using rocks on the floor. At some point Frodo had gotten up to talk to Gandalf who had not moved from his spot all night.

Mary was winning with the most rocks and stones when we all heard it, "Ah, it's that way."

All heads turned to the wizard in excitement. "He's remembered." Mary said getting up and gathering his few belongings.

"No," Gandalf said, "but the air doesn't smell so foul down here." He looked back at the hobbit, "When in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

At this time the group descended into an even darker part of the mines. How it could be any darker, Samantha couldn't understand. At one point she lost footing and nearly fell, but a firm hand grabbed her by the arm and stopped her. She looked back at Legolas and gave him a smile in thanks. After quite some time of following Gandalf, the group came into an obviously more open corridor.

"Let me risk, a little more light." The wizard said before illuminating the huge corridor they now stood inside. "Behold, the great realm and dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

Most everyone looked on in awe, even Gimli. It had been years since he had seen the magnificence of the halls. As they walked thought Samantha couldn't believe that this was a city. Would this have been the market place or just some giant room for events? She wished she could have seen the place in its heyday.

After walking for a while and admiring the hall, Gimli noticed an entrance to another room that was surrounded by bones and debris. He gasped and Gandalf called after him, "Gimli!" He didn't listen and continued to run. When he entered the room he saw the grave of his loved one.

"No." He fell to his knees in grief and began to cry for the loss of his people.

The rest of the fellowship entered the room and looked around. A battle had surely happened. The ground was littered with bodies long dead. Samantha, feeling for her friend walked over to the dwarf and placed a hand on his shoulder. All Gimli could do was nod to her in thanks, too grief stricken at the moment to thank her for her kindness. When they had entered the mines he had known this to be true, but he had hoped to find some survivors.

Gandalf walked past them and read the tomb stone, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin. Lord of Moria." He gave a pause, "He is dead, then. It's as I feared." This only made Gimli sob worse, the reality of it ingrained within him.

The wizard noticed a book sitting in the lap of a dead dwarf. He gave his staff and hat to Pippin to hold as he grabbed it and opened the book, blowing off the accumulated dust.

Samantha heard Legolas whisper, "We must move on, we cannot linger."

Before anyone could comment on the elf's words, Gandalf began to read. "They have taken the bridge, and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out, they are coming."

~Samantha's POV~

Gandalf's reading sent shivers down my spine and made me feel very uneasy as I looked around. My had had come off of Gimli's shoulder and I looked at the bodies lying around me. To think of the horror these dwarves went through before their deaths. It almost made me sick.

I was taken out of my thoughts when Pippin touched a skeleton and its head fell down a well, and the rest of the body followed. As well as a bucket. We all froze as we listened to the loud sounds that resonate through the mines. Gandalf had made it very clear that we needed to stay quiet to avoid detection by anything that may be down here. After the noise stopped we stayed quiet for another minute, listening. Listening for the drums that the deceased dwarf told about.

Gandalf closed the book and looked at the hobbit with extreme disappointment and mainly anger. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity." He said aggressively as he grabbed his things back from the hobbit. As he turned away we all heard a sound that made our blood run cold.

Drums.

Everyone looked around frantically, knowing what was to come. Frodo pulled out his sword from its sheath and it was glowing blue. Not good.

We could hear the loud maniacal laughter of the things that were inevitably coming closer and closer. Legolas knew that the sound was and said loudly, "Orcs!"

Everyone sprung into action. Boromir ran toward the door to survey the situation and quickly had a few arrows shot his way. I gasped but noticed they were in the door and not in him. Aragorn grabbed me and the hobbits, "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!"

Gandalf pushed us back to the corner and we all took out our weapons. I chose the sword, knowing that in this light a bow would be useless for me. At that point the door was shut and Boromir let us all know, "They have a cave troll."

We watched as the three men barricaded the door with discarded weapons and then everyone took their positions. I quickly looked over at the discarded book Gandalf had left on the tomb and decided to grab it. As quickly as I could I set down my sword and shoved the large book into my pack, forcing it to fit. This place meant a lot to Gimli and if I were in his shoes I would want something to remember it by. Even if a few pages were about its demise.

I noticed Gandalf look over at me and he didn't' say a word as I closed my pack and grabbed for my weapon once again.

"Let them come!" Gimli growled from on top of the grave. "There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath."

The hobbits and I stood in horror as the doors began to break apart and both Aragorn and Legolas shot through the openings. The shrieks sending a shiver down my spin and a cold sweat to start. Once again I felt as though I was going to die, but adrenaline kept me on edge and as hopeless as this situation seemed, I had hope.

The Orcs bust through the doors and all hell broke loose. I never thought that these creatures would be so ugly. They were the stuff of nightmares. The hobbits around me had more courage than I did, they soon ran forward screaming and began to fight as well. I couldn't sit here and watch as everyone else risked their lives. I too followed into the fray and complete adrenaline took over. All I was focused on was the lessons that Boromir and Aragorn taught me. They seemed to be doing their job since I was holding my own, until a larger Orc caught me by surprise and pushed me against the well that dead body had fallen into.

I was dazed for a moment until I noticed that it was going to stab me in the face, I moved to the side and felt a burning sensation on my jaw and neck. The orc pulled away and i looked into its face. It looked so happy to be killing me, like the thing got off on death. Before it could take another swing an arrow was embedded into the side of the Orcs skull and I knew it had to be Legolas. I had no time to look for him and thank him, or to even inspect my wound to see how bad it was.

The cave troll burst into the room. Literally bust in. It took down part of the wall when it entered. Everything seemed to stop before Legolas shot an arrow at it and it went berserk. The thing killed the orcs to get to us and Gimli seemed to be a target for the troll. Maybe because he was a dwarf like many he had killed before. When the troll lost sight of Gimli it went after Legolas who handled it well. The elf was able to get on top of the thing and tried to give a killing blow, but the arrows ricochet off of the trolls head and the thing moved frantically in pain.

I couldn't watch anymore as another orc came toward me and I just so happened to be close to Sam, who hit the thing in the head with a frying pan. What happened to his knife? The two of us fought back to back. Me with my sword and Sam with his trust frying pan. We were occupied until we heard a frantic Frodo, "Aragorn! Aragorn!" He was being dragged on the ground by the cave troll.

"Frodo!" Sam and I yelled frantically for our friend and we tried to fend off the orcs around us so we could get to him. Just as we moved closer we saw the troll impale Frodo with a large pike. Time seemed to slow down and everyone went into a frenzy to get to the Hobbit.

Sam and I ran to the Cave troll as Merry and Pippin were on its back. We slashed at the things legs until Legolas made a marksman shot into the upper jaw and through the skull of the troll. Killing it.

Once the troll fell to the ground we all rushed toward Frodo who we thought had to be dead. Aragorn looked at the hobbit in defeat and rolled him over. To our surprise, he moaned. Sam was next to him in an instant, inspecting him and a wave of relief washed over all of us. "He's alive." Sam stated.

"You should be dead," Aragorn said in disbelief, "That spear would have skewered a wild boar."

Gandalf stepped forward. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo looked down and revealed the stunningly beautiful undershirt he wore. I assume that's what saved his live and only let him with a bruise. "Mithril." Gimli said under his breath. He seemed genuinely shocked to see it. "You are full of surprises master Baggins."

I put a hand to my jaw that was throbbing, the fading adrenaline finally letting me feel feel the pain. At that time I noticed just how much blood was soaking into my shirt. Legolas came to me and turned me to face him. Inspecting my jaw, worry etched into his face. It couldn't be that bad, right? I was still standing after all.

It was then we all heard another shriek. Gandalf looked at all of us and turned.

"To the bridge of Khazad-dum!"

* * *

Its been forever I know. I'm sorry. I've been going through a breakup and haven't had the motivation to do a lot of anything. But I found some today! Hope you all liked the chapter! Feel free to Fav, Follow, and Review! Let me know you like the story! :)

Happy New Year! (Even though its late...)

Bu-Bye~!


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